Police say VVS grad Philip Markoff 'Craigslist Killer'

Philip Markoff graduates in 2004 at VVS. -Dispatch File Photo by JOHN HAEGER

SHERRILL -- The residents of the city of Sherrill are in shock and disbelief as one of their own has been charged with a horrific crime five hours away from this tightly-knit community.

Philip Markoff, a 2004 graduate of Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School, has been charged with murder in the April 14th shooting death of New York City resident Julissa Brisman at a luxury hotel in Boston and with kidnapping and armed robbery in another assault that took place at another hotel on April 10. He is being held without bail on the murder charge and $250,000 bail on the other charges.

According to the 2004 VVS yearbook, Markoff was a member of the bowling and golf teams and graduated with honors. He was also a member of the history club and youth court with plans to pursue pre-med at SUNY Albany.

Administrators at VVS declined to provide any information on Markoff, beyond confirming he is an alumnus and saying reporters from national media organizations had been calling. They also said teachers have been forbidden to talk to the press.

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Andrew Hookway, also a 2004 graduate of VVS, remembers Markoff as a quiet kid in general but outgoing within his circle of friends, of which Hookway was also a part of.

"I was pretty surprised when I heard the news. I didn't know how to react," Hookway said. "You are never prepared to hear something like that. I am shocked."

'He always seemed normal," Hookway said. There was nothing out of the ordinary. "We lived down the street from each other and rode the bus to school," he said.

If given the chance to speak to Markoff now, Hookway is not sure what he would say to him. "I hope it's a setup or something," he said. "Innocent until proven guilty," Hookway added.

Matthew Paulini was on the VVS bowling team with Markoff, though he hasn't seen him in at least three years. "It's hard to believe," he said, "especially since it all seemed to be going great for him, medical school and a beautiful fiancee."

He noted Markoff "did have a bit of a temper sometimes when things wouldn't work out, such as missing an easy spilt at a match, but nothing out of the ordinary and he never seemed to take it out on anyone."

He said he was talking to a lot of his class mates Tuesday about Markoff. "Some people thought he was 'rude and strange,' Paulini said, "But those of us who knew him thought he was a decent guy. He was always joking around having a pretty good time with us. Sociable, smart."

"A person who went to school with us asked me if I'm freaked out about it. But I'm not. There's no reason to be freaked out," Paulini said. "He's not even convicted... I'm more sad for the victims, their families, Megan, the Markoff family, and even Phil. I hope it's not true, but we'll see how it goes in court," he said

Shock, sadness and disbelief are common threads among members of the community going through the motions of daily life.

Donna Hogan was taking pictures for friends in Arizona of an empty lot that once held snow halfway up the telephone pole in the Silver City Plaza on Sherrill Road. She has lived in that area, down the street from the home of Markoff's step-father, Gary Carroll, for about five years.

"I don't know anything about him," Hogan said. He wasn't a troublemaker in the neighborhood and the name didn't stick out, she added.

It was a shock when she heard the suspect is from her city, she said. "You don't know who you should watch out for," Hogan added.

Jeff Brown, therapist at The Body Shop, was just as surprised to hear the news. "I was shocked to hear someone from here, a small-town kid, could have done something like this," Brown said.

City Manager Bob Comis also didn't recognize the family name and expressed his disbelief. "I was surprised to hear," he said. He has been in the area for several years and although he certainly does not know everyone, neither the names Markoff nor Carroll ring any bells, he added.

Gary and Susan Carroll are listed in Markoff's yearbook as his parents and people said privately his mother works in the Syracuse City School District.

The person answering the phones at the Syracuse City School District would neither confirm nor deny a Susan Carroll works there but did take a message for her. The call was not returned Tuesday.

UAlbany Spokesman Karl Luntta, said Markoff had not been involved in any known incidents while on campus.

"The university police department looked into this and found no cases past or present in which he was a person of interest," he said said Luntta.

Rome Observer Managing Editor Bruce Entelisano and the Troy Record contributed to this story.